Pale Male, the Monarch of Central Park surveys his kingdom.
Photo courtesy of palemale.com
Word from the Hawk Bench is that everything appears to be going along swimmingly for Pale Male and Ginger Lima.
In Wisconsin, winter having taken a vacation until mid January has now decided to make up for lost time.
Apparently when the snow appeared the accipiters that had had all the feeder birds in hiding, took to their wings, and the feeder birds are now back with a vengeance.
When these photographs were taken today it had already been snowing for many hours and the temperature was beginning to plummet further which could have something to do with their brazen hyper eating.
A Black-capped Chickadee who had been frequenting the sunflower seed feeder suddenly flew down, grabbed a piece of bread the size it her head, didn't get off the ground with it the first try but on the second try she power winged herself and the bread into a tree.
I've never ever seen Chickadee's eat bread. EVER. And it wasn't like there weren't sunflower seeds, their feeder staple, available. Perhaps she felt the need for a few carbs today?
I looked out at Mrs. Cardinal and she looked back at me. She's really terribly shy so felt the need to see what I was doing. But that gave an opening for the Junco to come closer. Juncos use this particular Junco leap from a standing start to startle each other and other birds too.
Now I know they're going to do it and so do the other birds but it works anyway. Their lazzi is to mosey closer and closer to another bird who has worked through the snow to a layer that holds seed beneath the snow. They do their startle jump. The working bird goes WAAAAA, and flies off. The Jumper doesn't have to do the work for the seed.
I'm beginning to believe that within a certain perimeter that birds have a kind of wired in startle response that their rational mind absolutely cannot control and which the Juncos as a species take advantage of. It is almost as if the Junco can enter a certain perimeter near another bird, Junco or other typical feeder bird, the Junco jumps, the attackee cannot stop the startle to flight response. They take off and loose what they worked for. Even though sometimes they appear to know it is coming but can't do anything about their response.
Jack Junco has gotten closer while she looked at me. She now turns straight onto him and raises her crest. He nonchalantly chews.
She looks at me again, Junco gets into position for a jump. Mrs. Cardinal can't take it and off she flees.
Mr. Cardinal is about to get company at the feeder from the sparrows.
Having finally gotten the feeder to himself Cardinal discovers all the currently accessible sunflower seeds in the mixed seed feeder are gone. He looks towards the sunflower seed feeder. It's already got customers and he goes for the numerous seeds spilled on the ground.
It is an everyday occurrence for a Goldfinch to visit a feeder but rather rare in this flock of inveterate ground feeding Juncos to find a Junco eating somewhere besides the ground.
Allowances must be made for 8 inches of new snow and temperatures plummeting to zero and below.
There is currently a flock of 17 Juncos--15 males and 3 females.
Why the lopsided count?
Because Junco males can be very aggressive towards females in winter flocks, therefore many of the females just head further south than the males go and have their own flocks in a warmer clime.
The females who have stayed to over winter with the males here don't put up with much bullying from them.
In fact one puts up with none at all and just leaps at any male trying to startle her off of the scrape she has scratched in the snow to get to buried seed.
Cardinal on the other hand is beginning to feel crowded by the Juncos below the feeder.
He lifts his crest at them. Nothing. He then flies off and comes whipping back in and lands with a great puff of snow. The juncos startle into flight and he looks downright pleased with himself.
Ah. That worked. Alone at last.
But where did I leave my feet?
And here come the sparrows...
A note from NYT Livestream Chat moderator and Washington Square Park Hawk watcher PonDove about a hawk radio interview tomorrow, the 21st, 1:30-2:00pm EST.
Dear Friends,
As most of you know, Saidhibin did a phone interview for Canadian Broadcast Company and I did one in the NYC studio. The interviewer put both interviews together. She is discussing the hawks with someone else and in between are excerpts of our interviews. It will be on from 1:30 until 2 tomorrow EST. It will also be available after tomorrow online if you miss it. I don't have the url yet but will soon. Here is how you can listen live tomorrow:
Best to all, Pon
Photo courtesy of The New York Times
And from our New York Times gleaner, W.A. Walters--
N.Y. / REGION | January 18, 2012
Seen It All on Subway? Look Under This Seat
By MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM
Last Friday - yes, it happened to be the 13th - the straphangers on a late-night D train were startled to discover that a nonhuman creature was in their midst. An opossum, to be precise.
(For more hit the link above. Eventually the possum comes up missing- follow up story link below.)
Caged? Writing a Book? The Next Stage in Life for a Subway-Riding Opossum
By MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM
Published: January 19, 2012
Case of the missing marsupial.After it emerged that a stowaway opossum had been spotted aboard a late-night subway train last week in Brooklyn, forcing the evacuation of fellow riders and a delay on the D line lasting nearly 30 minutes, one key question remained unanswered:
What happened to the opossum?
Some officials claimed the creature had been given to a Manhattan animal care center, but the city insisted it had no record of having received it. The police said the opossum had been carried away in a cage, but no subway workers could recall such details.
(So what happened to the possum?-link below)N.Y. / REGION | January 20, 2012
Caged? Writing a Book? The Next Stage in Life for a Subway-Riding Opossum
Donegal Browne
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